Theft At 21 ATM Machines In Lombok, NTB Police Arrest 2 Perpetrators, 1 Fugitive

The NTB Police and the banking sector showed evidence and two members of a money theft syndicate at 21 ATM machines on Tuesday, August 16. (ANTARA/Dhimas BP)

NTB - The West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Regional Police have uncovered a money theft syndicate at 21 automated teller machines (ATM) outlets in the Lombok area.

The Head of the NTB Regional Police, Inspector General of Police, Djoko Poerwanto, revealed that the theft syndicate was uncovered based on the follow-up to community reports.

"There are seven police reports received by the NTB Regional Police. They are from several places, in Central Lombok, Mataram, West Lombok and East Lombok," Djoko said at a press conference in Mataram, NTB, quoted from Antara, Tuesday, August 16.

Based on community reports, the NTB Police followed up by deploying the mainstay of the NTB Police General Criminal Investigation Directorate (Ditreskrimum), namely the Puma Team.

The Puma team, continued Djoko, carried out an initial investigation by examining one of the ATM machine outlets where the theft syndicate crime was located.

"The initial investigation was carried out at one of the outlets (ATM machines) in the East Lombok area," he said.

From the first location, said Djoko, officers have obtained preliminary evidence that confirms the alleged crime of theft.

"The initial evidence was obtained from CCTV camera footage at ATM machine outlets," he said.

From the inspection and coordination with the bank owner of the ATM machine, the theft carried out by the criminal syndicate paid off. Officers obtained the identities of the three members of the theft syndicate.

The three perpetrators were men with the initials AI, EH, and BS. However, of the three perpetrators, the police only arrested two perpetrators in the Bogor area, West Java, Sunday, August 14.

"They were arrested at their house in the Bogor area. So from the initial report to the arrest, the case was successfully revealed in six days," he said.

Regarding the arrest of the two perpetrators who were included in this theft syndicate, the Director of General Criminal Investigation (Dirreskrimum) of the NTB Police, Kombes Police, Teddy Rustiawan, explained that there was one other perpetrator who was also arrested.

However, the perpetrator has nothing to do with the area under the jurisdiction of the NTB Police, but rather with the Depok Police, West Java.

"So when they were arrested, one of them had just finished acting in the Depok area, that's why we submitted the handling to the Depok Police for follow-up," said Teddy.

Through the disclosure of this case, Teddy hopes that banks and customers, if they find any irregularities or suspicious things in financial transactions at ATM machines, immediately report them to the police.

"To the banks, please report any irregularities in financial transactions at ATM machines, we from the police are ready to follow up," he said.